Tension device



June 29, 1965 R. D. JONES ETAL TENSION DEVICE Filed Sept. 12, 1965 SE Y K M an E O AO N WMP .F.T V M WY B A E mam R United States PatentO 3,191,885 TENSION DEVICE Roy D. Jones and Robert F. Parks, Greenville, and Albert Gorze, Travelers Rest, S.C., assignors to Steel Heddle Manufacturing Company, Paris, S.C., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 308,516 3 Claims. (Cl. 242-154) This invention relates to yarn tensioning devices and especially to tho'sefor use upon loom winders wherein empty quills are replenished with yarn at the loom.

It is important that yarn packages be wound under proper uniform tension. 'In a loom winder, for example, if the yarn tension is insufficient a soft package will be wound in which the yarn readily sloughs off causing excessive filling breakage and diificulty in maintaining proper tension on the fillingryarn during weaving. Excessive tension causes breakage of the yarn on the loom winder. Tensions heretofore available are generally of the disc type and have many disadvantages including, affording uneven tension under certain conditions such as when a lint ball builds up between the discs. The presence of the lint ball causes a reduction oftension whereas, after the lint ball passes through thedisc the tension is greatly increased. Excessive wear is also a significant cause of uneven tension. Such tens-ions are difiicult to thread and are easily unthreaded. They do not hold the tension on the yarn when the loom winder is stopped since no positive tension is applied to the yarn. They are difficult to adjust to give proper tension since a system of weights is employed. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved tension device which is capable of simple positive adjustments to .give proper positive yarn tension.

Another important object of the invention is to provide such a yarn tensioning device which is easily and positively threaded in a single operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a tension device which will not unthread easily when the loom winder stops or on sudden increases in tension.

Another object of the invention is to provide even tension resulting in uniformly wound yarn packages on loom winders.

The construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features thereof. i i

The invention willbe more readily understood from a reading of' the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof; wherein an example of the invention is shown and wherein: n l

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation illustrating a tension device constructed in accordance with the present invention positioned upon a loom winder,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan view of the tension device and mounting illustrated in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation illustrating the tension device, and

FIGURE 4 is -a transverse sectional elevation taken on the line 4-4 in FIGURE 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, a yarn tensioning device having an elongated block A defining an open interior portion is illustrated upon a loom winder. A yarn inlet -B through which the block is threaded is positioned at one end of the block. A yarn outlet C through which yarn passes from the block is positioned in alignment with the yarn inlet at the other end of the block. The yarn inlet and yarn outlet are in substantial alignment with the yarn supply of the loom winder. A plurality of spaced pins D are carried by the block transversely thereof within the interior portion on one side ice of the yarn inlet and the yarn outlet. An elongated member or arm E is disposed longitudinally of and normally within the interior portion and is pivotally mount ed on the block adjacent the yarn inlet. A plurality of looped members F are carried by the elongated member spaced to fit between the pins and are normally disposed in alignment with the yarn inlet and the yarn outlet. Resilient means G normally urge the free end of the elongated member away from the pins. Thus, a hook may be passed through the yarn outlet and the yarn inlet and through the looped members whenthe force of the resilient means is overcome to catch an end of yarn for threading the device.

The resilient means G are illustrated as being carried upon a shaft mounted on at least one end thereof within a bus-hing constructed of synthetic polymeric material. By turning the shaft adjustments in force applied by the resilient means to the elongated mean's E may be had. Since the friction developed between the shaft and the bushing exceeds the force of the resilient means infinite adjustments in tension may be made. The shaft will remain locked due to plastic set of the bushing until another adjustment is made.

"FIGURE 1 illustrates the tension means. positioned between a yarn supply 10 and a package including a bobbin 11 upon the left-hand arch 12 of a loom winder of the type fully described in Catalog No. 790i-1 entitled Loom Fixers Manual For The Unifil Loom Winder distributed by Leesona Corporation of Providence, Rhode Island. The tension means is fastened by nuts 13 and 14 which confine an offset mounting arm '15 upon the arch of the loom winder. The mounting arm may be adjustably positioned so as point almost directly at the yarn supply It) which facilitates the delivery of yarn to the tension means. The mounting block A is fastened to the mounting arm 15 by a bracket portion 16, integral therewith and fixed by the set-screw 17 to the mounting rod support 15. The threading block A includes side portions 18 and 19 and a front end portion 20 and a rear end portion 21. An inlet eye B is positioned within the front end 26 of the threading block while an outlet eye C is positioned in the rear end portion 21 from whence the yarn is delivered to the package 11.

' It will be observed'that a number of spaced aligned pins D preferably manufactured of an extremely hard substance such as Heniu m, distributed by Heany Industrial Ceramics Corp. of New Haven, Connecticut, having a'relatively low coefiicient of friction are positioned between the sides '18 and '19 within the space defined within the threading block A. An elongated member E is formed by connecting portions between spaced loops P which are positioned between the pins D. Themember E has a rearwardly projecting portion22 which is urged downwardly by a coil spring 23. An intermediate loop 230 of the coil spring 23 passes over the upper surface of the projection 22. The spring is coiled on each side of the member 22 so that terminal portions 23b and 230 (FIGURE 4) on each end thereof are confined between split portions 24a and 24b (FIGURES 2 and 3) of the shaft 24. The arm E has a loop 22a, from which the projection 22 extends, carried by the shaft 24 for pivotally mounting the arm as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4. The split portions 24a and 24b are joined by a loop 240 for fixing the shaft 24 within the threading block.

Thus, the adjustable tension means G includes the coil spring 23 having the central loop 23a. The transverse shaft 24 is mounted on one end thereof within an enlarged portion of the wall 19 adjacent the front end portion 20, and is carried within a nylon bushing 25. The other end of the shaft 24 is journaled in the opposite wall 18. The shaft 24 is slightly larger than the bore of the bushing 25 so as to develop considerable friction therebetween. The bushing may be constructed of any suitable synthetic polymeric material such as nylon or Teflon manufactured by E. I. du Point de Nemours and Co., Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware. When the shaft 24 has been turned to any given position within the deformable bushing 25 a plastic set is developed due to the nature of such synthetic material so as to maintain a positive setting. This results in a constant resilient force being applied to the arm E. The shaft 24 has a nob 26 having a pointer 26a for indicating the relative position of the nob 26 with respect to indicia including relative tension settings illustrated in the form of numerals in FIGURE 3 aflixed upon the face 18a of the side 18. The nob 26 is fastened to the shaft 24 by a setscrew 26b.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the threading operation in which the yard Y is engaged by a hook 27. By urging the arm E downwardly against the resilient means the loops F are aligned with the inlet eye B and the outlet eye C. Thus, the hook indicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 3 may be passed therethrough and engage the yard Y as shown in broken lines for pulling same through the tensioning device to solid line position indicated in FIGURE 3.

In operation the tension exerted upon the yarn Y may be adjusted by turning the nob 26 to increase or decrease the tension in the coils of the spring 23 to thus vary the force applied by the central loop 23a to the arm E. Thus, infinite adjustments in tension may be made. The plastic set of the bushing 25 results in constant tension settings. Thus, for all tension settings, due to the size of the bushing in relation to the shaft, the friction developed between the bushing and the shaft may be made to exceed the resilient force applied by the spring.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A yarn tensioning device including, an elongated threading block defining an open interior portion, a yarn inlet through which the block is threaded positioned at one end of the block, a yarn outlet through which yarn passes from the block positioned in alignment with the yarn inlet at the other end of the block, a plurality of spaced pins carried by the block transversely thereof withing the interior portion on one side of the yarn inlet and the yarn outlet, an elongated member disposed longitudinally of and normally within the interior portion of the block, means pivotally mounting said elongated mem bers on the block adjacent the yarn inlet on the said one side thereof, a plurality of looped members carried by the elongated member spaced to fit between the pins and normally disposed in alignment with the yarn inlet and 55 the yarn outlet, and resilient means carried by the mounting means and normally urging the free end of the elongated member away from the pins carried within the block, whereby a yarn hook may be passed through the yarn outlet and the yarn inlet and through the looped members when the force of the resilient means is overcome to catch an end of yarn for threading the device.

2. For use in tensioning yarn from a yarn supply which is being wound on a package including, an elongated block defining an open interior portion, a plurality of spaced pins carried by the block transversely thereof within the interior portion, a shaft carried by the block transversely thereof within the interior portion, an elongated member disposed longitudinally of and normally within the interior portion and pivotally mounted on the shaft, a plurality of looped members carried by the elongated member spaced to fit between the pins, a spring normally urging the free end of the elongated member away from the pins, the tension of said spring being increased as the shaft is turned in one direction and reduced as the shaft is turned in the other direction, and a deformable bushing constructed of synthetic polymeric material into which at least one end of said shaft is mounted, said bushing being of such size in relation to the shaft that the friction developed by plastic set between the bushing and the shaft exceeds the force applied by the spring to the shaft under all normal tensions thereof.

3. A device for inparting tension to a moving textile strand including, a shaft, an arm applying tension to the strand pivotally carried by the shaft, a spring connected to the shaft and to the arm so as to exert resilient force against the arm controlling the tension upon the strand and so as to increase such resilient force upon turning the shaft in one direction and to decrease such resilient force upon turning the shaft in the other direction, and a deformable bushing constructed of synthetic polymeric material into which the shaft is mounted on at least one end thereof, said bushing being of such size in relation to the shaft that the friction developed by plastic set between the bushing and the shaft exceeds the resilient force applied by the spring to the shaft under all normal tensions thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,516,885 11/24 Houghton 242154 1,762,476 6/30 Houghton 242154 2,202,323 5/40 Sullivan 242154 2,343,535 3/44 Clarkson 242-454 2,790,611 4/57 Massey 242-154 2,802,503 8/57 Zupa 162 2,813,687 11/57 Carroll 242154 MARVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

DONALD W. PARKER, Examiner. 

1. A YARN TENSIONING DEVICE INCLUDING, AN ELONGATED THREADING BLOCK DEFINING AN OPEN INTERIOR PORTION, A YARN INLET THROUGH WHICH THE BLOCK IS THREADED POSITIONED AT ONE END OF THE BLOCK, A YARN OUTLET THROUGH WHICH YARN PASSES FROM THE BLOCK POSITIONED IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE YARN INLET AT THE OTHER END OF THE BLOCK, A PLURALITY OF SPACED PINS CARRIED BY THE BLOCK TRANSVERSELY THEREOF WITHING THE INTERIOR PORTION ON ONE SIDE OF THE YARN INLET AND THE YARN OUTLET, AN ELONGATED MEMBER DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY OF AND NORMALLY WITHIN THE INTERIOR PORTION OF THE BLOCK, MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID ELONGATED MEMBERS ON THE BLOCK ADJACENT THE YARN INLET ON THE SAID ONE SIDE THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF LOOPED MEMBERS CARRIED BY THE ELONGATED MEMBER SPACED TO FIT BETWEEN THE PINS AND NORMALLY DISPOSED IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE YARN INLET AND THE YARN OUTLET, AND RESILIENT MEANS CARRIED BY THE MOUNTING MEANS AND NORMALLY URGING THE FREE END OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER AWAY FROM THE PINS CARRIED WITHIN THE BLOCK, WHEREBY A YARN HOOK MAY BE PASSED THROUGH THE YARN OUTLET AND THE YARN INLET AND THROUGH THE LOOPED MEMBERS WHEN THE FORCE OF THE RESILIENT MEANS IS OVERCOME TO CATCH AN END OF YARN FOR THREADING THE DEVICE. 